Celebration, Florida
Celebration is a census-designated place (CDP) and a master-planned community in Osceola County, Florida, United States, located near Walt Disney World and originally developed by The Walt Disney Company. As part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area, Celebration's population was 7427 at the 2010 census. Subsequent to founding Celebration, Disney followed its plans to divest most of its control of the town. Several Disney business units continue to occupy the town's office buildings, and two utility companies, Smart City Telecom and Reedy Creek Energy Services, both operated from Walt Disney World, provide services to the town. The town itself remains directly connected to the Walt Disney World resorts via one of its primary streets, World Drive, which begins near the Magic Kingdom. Downtown Celebration's post office was designed by Michael Graves, the adjacent Welcome Center is by Philip Johnson and the Celebration Health building by Robert A. M. Stern. Other nearby buildings are designed by well known architects including: Charles Moore (Preview Center), Graham Gund (Bohemian Hotel), Cesar Pelli (movie theatre), Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown (SunTrust Bank). Response to Celebration has been mixed, some feeling it is creepy, one resident even admitting it is "Stepford Wife-like," to those who see Celebration as an example of new urbanism with its safe, walkable community. History In the early 1990s, the Disney Development Company (DDC) established the Celebration Company to spearhead its development within approximately 4900 acres of land in the southern portion of the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Total investment for the project is estimated at US$2.5 billion. The master plan was developed by Cooper, Robertson & Partners and Robert A. M. Stern, and the extensive landscape, parks, trails and pathways were designed by the San Francisco firm EDAW (now AECOM). Celebration is planned in an early 20th-century architectural style and is not zoned for high-density residences. Celebration was named the "New Community of the Year" in 2001 by the Urban Land Institute. The first phase of residential development occurred in the summer of 1996 with Celebration Village, West Village and Lake Evalyn; this was followed by the North Village, South Village, East Village and Aquila Reserve and the final Artisan Park phases. Disney CEO Michael Eisner took an especially keen interest in the development of the new town in the early days, encouraging the executives at Disney Development Company to "make history" and develop a town worthy of the Disney brand and legacy that extended to Walt Disney's vision of an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT). DDC executives collaborated extensively with leaders in education, health and technology in addition to planners and architects to create the vision and operating policies for the town. Geography Celebration is located at (28.320059, −81.540149). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 10.7 square miles, of which 0.04 square miles, or 0.28%, is water. Celebration is under USPS ZIP code 34747, sometimes known as Kissimmee, Florida. This is due to the city's being unincorporated, as Celebration is not a subdivision and is still considered an unincorporated town. Demographics As of the census of 2010, there were 7427 people, 3063 households, and 716 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 704.9 people per square mile (99.0/square kilometer). There were 4566 housing units at an average density of 102.4/square mile (39.6/square kilometer). The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.0% white (81.9% of which were non-Hispanic white), 1.5% black, 3.2% Asian, 2.2% from two or more races and 0.26% Native American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.2% of the population. There were 3063 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.96. In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $74,231, and the median income for a family was $92,334. Males had a median income of $51,250 versus $46,650 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $39,521, and 4.1% of the population lived below the poverty line. City life Community Celebration has a variety of community organizations that maintain the town; "each play a role in the governance of Celebration." There are also seven registered Christian churches, one Hospital Ministry, and one Jewish congregation. There are parks throughout the town as well as a fire department, post office, schools, a hospital, and a golf course. Downtown Celebration Town Center contains shops, restaurants, and other commercial establishments. The Celebration Hotel hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during training camp until the 2009 season when the team moved training camp back to Tampa Bay. In autumn, leaf-shaped confetti shoots out of the lamp posts on Market Street to simulate falling leaves. During the holiday season, suds pour out of the lamp posts to replicate snow while Christmas music streams from the sidewalks. There is a water fountain that comes out from the ground for children to play in located next to the lake, surrounded by palm trees and benches. Commerce The community started with a small number of merchants that the Disney Company selected. There are now more than five hundred registered companies listed as doing business in the shopping plazas, small office complexes, and the Disney World office building park. This community does hold the Osceola County only Class A office buildings. There is a high number of home businesses. Villages Celebration is separated into areas referred to as "villages." The main village, closest to downtown, is where the first homes were constructed. North Village, closest to U.S. 192, houses the Georgetown Condos as well as Acadia Estate Homes. East Village includes Roseville Corner and Aquila Loop. Lake Evelyn, generally considered its own area of Celebration but not quite its own village, includes a small lake where one can find a multitude of ducks, alligators, and the occasional river otter. South Village houses the Spring Park Loop estate homes and Heritage Hall. Additionally, Siena Condos complete the outer edge of South Village by Celebration Blvd. Mirasol includes condos with concierge service and a day spa. Artisan Park is at the end of Celebration Ave and houses condos, town homes, single-family residences as well as a clubhouse consisting of a pool, gym and restaurant. Homes and condominiums are constructed along streets, with garages and garbage pickup done in narrow but paved alleyways behind the homes, keeping the look of home fronts and sidewalks pristine. Utility service is underground. Transportation 91% of residents who work outside their homes drive to work. Most residents do not often drive long distances and there is a high amount of smart cars or low-speed vehicles to travel around the town. Contrary to its design as a quintessential American town, Celebration does not have any road named Main Street. This is because there was already a Main Street in Osceola County, and street names cannot be duplicated in the county. The two main roads going through the center of the downtown area are named Market Street and Front Street. Other streets in Celebration include: ;Celebration Avenue This is considered the main road in the town. The road stretches from U.S. 192 to Artisan Park where it ends in a traffic circle. Starting from U.S. 192 near the Disney Parks and the Celebration water tower, you can find a small shopping plaza. From there, Celebration Avenue passes the North Village, splits the Celebration golf course, winds through a few down-town shops and schools, and then proceeds into the parks and homes in the newer sections of Celebration. ;Celebration Boulevard Celebration Boulevard has two sections. The most public section is an avenue parallel to I-4 that includes many commercial businesses and Celebration High School. The architecture on the street is mostly Celebration Modern style. This style reflects art Streamline Moderne and Art Deco influences with its sleek lines, sparse but effective ornamentation, and ample opportunities for individually expressive special features. The entire street is lined with two rows of Washington Palms. The buildings on the street include sitting areas under the shade of trees and trellises along their frontage. The other section of Celebration Boulevard lies on the other side of the golf course, closer to the Celebration Water Tower in the North Village. Here, Celebration Boulevard is almost completely residential. In addition to the homes perched behind white picket fences, this section of Celebration Boulevard flows past the Georgetown condominiums, the community pool, and soccer fields. ;Celebration Place Celebration Place nearly spans the gap between the two sections of Celebration Boulevard, except that its eastern end terminates at the Water Tower Plaza instead of at the entrance to North Village on the other side of State Road 417. Celebration Place is a commercial road. Health The community is home to a 174-bed hospital operated by Florida Hospital that resembles a resort-style facility. Celebration Health has been recently expanded, and also houses a gym, the Fitness Centre. College Gameday host Lee Corso's brother Ralph Corso is a trainer at the fitness centre. Events Celebration hosts many events every year, including community-wide yard sales, an art show, an exotic car festival, an annual Radio Disney Holiday concert, an Oktoberfest Celebration, the "Great American Pie Festival" (televised on The Food Network), a "Posh Pooch" festival, and downtown events for the Fall and Christmas seasons when autumn leaves and "snow" (small-scale soap flakes) are released into the Town Center. The community also hosts a large Independence Day fireworks celebration. The town events are organized on the Internet by the Community Calendar. Chris Fowler performed the star spangled banner during Forth of July celebrations in Celebration in 2006. Education The School District of Osceola County, Florida operates public schools in Celebration. Celebration is zoned to the Celebration School for K-8. Celebration High School, located in the city, serves Celebration for grades 9–12. There are private education options provided by the Montessori School of Celebration (K-8). Private graduate education is available at Stetson University Celebration Campus. There are free classes offered at the community center by clubs for cooking, gardening, art, writing, and technology. The Osceola Library System operates the West Osceola Branch Library in Celebration. See also * http://www.disneygoldenoak.com/ Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort A concept high-end resort living community within the Walt Disney World resort * Val d'Europe - located around 35 kilometers to the east of Paris, near Disneyland Paris. Val d'Europe was built in conjunction with The Walt Disney Company, References * Frantz, Douglas and Collins, Catherine. Celebration, U.S.A.: Living in Disney's Brave New Town ( ) External links * Celebration Independent Online Magazine * Official town web site - includes architectural walking tour * Celebration Town Center web site * Celebration Front Porch community web site * Architecture of Celebration - photos and text Category:The Walt Disney Company Category:Walt Disney Company subsidiaries